IIT-B suicide: Cops record statements of youth's kin

The Powai police investigating the alleged suicide case of a 21-year-old student of IIT-B, who died on May 2, have recorded statements of parents, friends and faculty heads of the institute.

According to the police, during the course of the investigation, they came to know that the deceased, Jitesh Sharma, has been suffering from depression. Officers said the statements given by Sharma's parents have corroborated their findings.

"They have told us that their son had a history of depression and was under medication," said Yadavrao Jadhav, senior inspector of Powai police station.

Sharma, a third-year chemical engineering student who hailed from Rohtak in Haryana, was found dead on the terrace of the hostel in the IIT campus. He was said to under depression because of the course he had chosen, which he apparently was not happy with.

Jadhav said, "We have sent samples, including the bottle of sodium azide found near his body, to the Kalina forensic lab and are awaiting reports. The suicide note that Sharma left also indicated that he was tensed about his course."